General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Saez & Piketty--Why the 1% should pay tax at 80% [View all]One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)Dropping Capital Gains Rates made Stocks more advantageous. Which helped to prop up the DJIA which IMO was a reason for it being done at the time. Putting it back would not be a bad idea now IMO. Putting it at 80% might wipe out Pension/Retirement accounts as Capital flight to other investment vehicles take place.
The Rich are in the business of Doing Best Option. When you tweak the tax code you may change what Best Option is and the Rich respond by shuffling how they are invested. Same as we change to a Credit Card with a Lower Rate. If a bank suddenly switched to a 80% interest rate on Credit Card purchases. It wouldn't be long before shredded plastic filled their mail and people found a lower rate or other alternative.
There are a number of worthwhile idea's to consider. None of which involve Confiscatory tax rates.